(a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a system for containing or caging animals. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a collapsible container for holding animals. The container being particularly useful for holding animals during transport.
(b) Known Art
The need to provide temporary housing for the storage or containment of animals has long been addressed by providing small cages or containers that hold the animal during transport or while housing the animal for a short time. A serious problem with these cages has been that they occupy the same amount of space when in use as well as when vacant. Therefore, artisans have provided collapsing carriers which occupy significantly less space when collapsed and not in use. Known devices, however, have left important problems relating to structural rigidity, structural efficiency, and ease of operation unsolved.
An example of known collapsible pet carriers is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,818 to Wilson. The Wilson device includes a pair of vertical sidewalls that collapse and a hinged roof that collapses over the sidewalls, retaining the sidewalls between the floor and the roof when the device is in a collapsed position. A significant disadvantage of this arrangement is that the overall structure becomes highly unstable when the roof panes have been sized in order to ensure that the roof panels lie flat against the side panels when the device is in a collapsed configuration.
The instability results from the fact that in order to have a roof of substantially equal, hinged halves which lie flat over and against side panels that are also made from substantially equal halves, the resulting roof structure will be a structure that will tend to collapse due to a lack of support from the side panels.
Another known device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,540 to Yamamoto. The Yamamoto device includes inwardly collapsing walls, a top with four vertical sidewalls and a bottom with four vertical sidewalls. The ends and the collapsing walls nest within the vertical sidewalls of the top and bottom when the device is in a collapsed configuration. The Yamamoto device offers important advantages in applications where small pets are to be transported. Unfortunately, however, the Yamamoto device is disadvantaged in that the vertical sidewalls of the top and bottom limit the ratio of collapsibility of the device. Furthermore, the Yamamoto device is well suited for applications where small pets are to be transported, and which can be positioned under an airplane seat or similar location. This arrangement, however, is not particularly well suited for situations where many animals are to be transported, such as where several large dogs are to be transported in an aircraft.
Another device in which the top and bottom include vertical sidewalls is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,842 to Jones Jr. The Jones Jr. device, while operating in a different manner than the Yamamoto device, suffers from substantially the same disadvantages as the Yamamoto device.
Thus, it will be appreciated that there remains a need for a collapsible pet carrier which provides a structurally efficient, rigid structure when expanded, and which provides advantages while transporting or housing several animals. Such and advantage could be gained by providing collapsible pet carriers that are stackable in a stable, orderly manner. Known collapsing pet houses or carriers such as the device shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,109,427 and 4,085,762 to O""Brian et al., 4,295,446 to Voss, 4,603,658 to Garnsey, and 3,324,831 to St. Onge include sloping roofs which do not allow convenient stacking of the devices.
Therefore, it will be understood that there remains a need for a collapsible pet carrier that can be stacked to allow transport of many pets.
There remains a need for a collapsing pet carrier that exhibits structural rigidity and structural efficiency, to allow stacking and unburdensome transport.
There remains a need for a collapsible pet carrier that can be stacked and provide access to the pets while the devices are stacked.
Still further, there remains a need for a collapsible pet carrier that is light and easy to carry.
There remains a need for a collapsible pet carrier that can be easily stacked and arranged next to one another such that the several carriers can be transported together with ease and stability.
It has been discovered that the problems left unanswered by known art can be solved by a collapsible pet carrier which includes:
1) a floor panel having a pair of parallel sides and a pair of ends extending between the sides;
2) a pair of generally opposing walls hingedly attached to the parallel sides of the floor panel, each wall being collapsible towards the opposing wall, the hinged connection allowing movement of the wall panels from:
a first position where the external surfaces of the wall panels are at an acute angle relative to one another to a second position where the external surfaces of the wall panels are retained at an angle greater than 180 degrees relative to one another;
3) a roof panel, the roof panel extending between the walls and being hingedly connected to the walls; and
a pair of endwalls, each endwall being hingedly attached to the floor panel at opposing ends of the floor panel, the endwalls being adapted for supporting the wall panels in the second position, so that the roof panel is supported by the walls when the wall panels are at the second position.
In a highly preferred embodiment of the invention the collapsible pet carrier which includes:
1) a floor panel having a pair of parallel sides and a pair of ends extending between the sides;
2) a pair of generally opposing walls hingedly attached to the parallel sides of the floor panel, each wall being collapsible towards the opposing wall, the wall panels including a connector that allows attaching the wall of one pet carrier to the wall of another pet carrier, so that the two pet carriers joined together cooperate with one another to help support one another;
3) a roof panel, the roof panel extending between the walls and being hingedly connected to the walls; and
a pair of endwalls, each endwall being hingedly attached to the floor panel at opposing ends of the floor panel, the endwalls being adapted for supporting the wall panels in the second position, so that the roof panel can be supported by the walls.
It has been discovered that the disclosed configuration provides important synergistic results in that by connecting a pair of collapsible pet carriers to one another takes advantage of the fact that the walls of the two adjacent containers will reinforce or support one another, producing a structure which is more stable than when the pet carriers are simply positioned next to one another.
The walls of a highly preferred embodiment of the invention the walls are formed from panels that cooperate with one another to provide a profile that is somewhat similar to a Mansard style roof configuration. In a highly preferred embodiment of the invention, the roof panel, which extends between the walls is hingedly connected to the walls such that it will remain a generally horizontal orientation, parallel to the floor panel, when the pet carrier is in a fully expanded configuration. This configuration will allow vertical stacking of the pet carriers. Accordingly, it will be understood that the stackable features and the interconnecting features will provide the user with a stable system that can be used to transport many animals in a vehicle such as an airplane, truck, and the like.
Additionally, it will be understood that the disclosed system will result in more efficient use of the cargo area of these vehicles. This is in large part due to the fact that the disclosed system allows the user to expand and connect only as many pet carriers as needed, while keeping additional carriers stored in a collapsed configuration.
Still further, it will be appreciated that the disclosed configuration of the wall panels will provide a particularly stable structure. An important factor contributing to the stability of the disclosed invention is the wall panels have been attached to one another such that the panels may fold from a first position where the external surfaces of the wall panels face one another to a second position where the external surfaces of the wall panels are retained at an angle greater than 180 degrees relative to one another.
The wall panels cooperate with one another in the second position by way of an abutment or stop at a distance from the hinge that holds the panels next to one another. It is further contemplated that the stability of the structure may be enhanced by the mounting of dogs or protrusions which provide an enlarged abutment area.
It should also be understood that while the above and other advantages and results of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, showing the contemplated novel construction, combinations and elements as herein described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it should be clearly understood that changes in the precise embodiments of the herein disclosed invention are meant to be included within the scope of the claims, except insofar as they may be precluded by the prior art.